Double-sided poster holder



United States Patent 3,182,351 DUUELE-EIEED PUSTER HOLDER David S. Howell, Royal (lair, Mich, assignor to Arlington Aluminum Company, Detroit, Mich, a corporation of Michigan Filed Nov. 30, rate, Ser, No. 72,776 10 Elaims. (Cl. 40-125) This invention relates to display devices and, in particular, to poster holders.

One object of this invention is to provide a doublesided poster holder in the form of a border frame subdivided by a panel and capable of receiving and holding posters of flexible material, such as paper, cardboard, sheet plastic or the like.

Another object is to provide a double-sided 'poster holder of the foregoing character wherein all portions of the perimeter are concealedby the border frame.

Another object is to provide a double-sided poster holder of the foregoing character wherein the partition panel or back is quickly and easily inserted in the border frame by having upstanding tabs or lugs which project through openings in the top member of the border frame and optionally also serve for the attachment of poster holder suspending or mounting means.

Another object is to provide a double-sided poster holder of the foregoing character wherein one of the border frame members, preferably the bottom border frame member, is cut away at its opposite ends for convenience of bowing or flexing the posters to spring them into position within the border frame yet leave clearance for the corner portions thereof which otherwise would not enter the frame.

Another object is to provide a double-sided poster holder, as set forth in the object immediately preceding, wherein border frame fillers are provided to close the cutaway portions of the border frame and are preferably hinged to swing between open and closed positions.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent during the course of the following description of the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a front elevation of a double-sided poster holder, according to one form of the invention, with one of the border frame member fillers swung downward into its open position and the other swung upward into its closed position;

FIGURE 2 is an enlarged central vertical cross-section taken along the line 2-2 in FIGURE 1, with the central portion omitted to conserve space;

FIGURE 3 is a further enlarged fragmentary vertical cross-section through the top border frame member and partition panel with the mounting lug projecting therethrough, taken along the line 3-3 in FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 4 is an enlarged fragmentary vertical crosssection through the bottom border frame member, taken along the line 4-4 in FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 5 is an enlarged horizontal cross-section taken along the line 5-5 in FIGURE 1, with the central portion omitted to conserve space;

FIGURE 6 is a further enlarged fragmentary horizontal cross-section taken along the line 66 in FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 7is an enlarged fragmentary bottom plan view of a portion of the bottom border frame member, showing the hinged attachment means for one of the swinging border frame pillars, looking in the direction of the line 7-7 in FIGURE 1; and

FIGURE 8 is an enlarged fragmentary end elevation of the lower right-hand corner portion of the poster holder, showing a spring detent for the fillers, looking in the direction of the line 88 in FIGURE 1.

Hitherto, poster holders in which the posters have been made from flexible sheet material and bowed or arched 3 1 $2,351 Patented Sept. 3, 1963 to spring them into position, have had unsightly gaps in their border frames necessitated by the need for providing clearances for the corners of the flexed posters as they are present invention is simple in construction yet strong, displays two posters simultaneously on opposite sides,has fillers which conceal the unsightly gaps, and. possesses an improved, strongerarrangement for mounting the back panel and at the same time for mounting the poster holder on a support.

Referring to the drawings in detail, FIGURE 1 shows a double-sided poster holder, generally designated 10, according to one form of the invention as consisting generally of a double-sided border frame 12 composed of top, bottom and side border frame members 14, 16 and 18 respectively secured to and extending around a back plate or partition panel 20. .Attachment clips 22 are provided for suspending or otherwise mounting the poster holder 10 upon a support (not shown). The border frame members 14, 16 and 18 are of generally similar cross-section and are formed from identical extrusions of suitable metal, such as aluminum or aluminum alloys. During the extruding process, which is well-known to engineers in that branch of metal shaping, the border frame members are preferably shaped with ornamental flutes, ridges or other artistic projections or depressions in order to increase the attractiveness of appearance of the poster holder, but the showing of the poster holder in the drawings has omitted such purely ornamental features and illustrated only plain surfaces in order to simplify the showing of the invention. Each border frame member 14, 16 or 18, except as altered slightly as described below, is of channel-shaped crosssection (FIGURE 6) with border sides 24 interconnected by bridging end or edge portions 28, from which laterallyspaced ribs or flanges 30 project inwardly parallel to one another and to the border sides 24 to provide an inner channel or groove 32 flanked by a pair of outer channels or channel recesses 34. The outer channels or channel recesses 34 are for the purpose of receiving the edges of the posters (not shown), whereas the inner channels or grooves 32 receive the edge portions 33 of the back plate or partition panel 20.

In order to secure, the border frame members 14, 16 and 18 to one another to form the border frame 12, the bridging or edge portions 28 thereof are provided at intervals with peripherally-spaced holes 36 through which metal screws 38 are inserted and threaded into holes 40 in the edge portions of the channel 20. The holes 40 securing the border frame members 14, 16 and 18 to the four edge portions of the rectangular partition panel or back plate 20, also serve to spread or bulge the edge portions 33 so that they fill the inner channels. 32 and tightly engage the ribs or flanges 30. The border frame members 14, 16 and 18 at their ends are mitered as at 41 to fit together by cutting them off at 45 degree angles.

The top border frame member 14 near its opposite ends is provided with elongated slots 42 through which project elongated upstanding lugs or tabs 44 integral with and extending upwardly from the upper edge of the back plate or partition panel 20 (FIGURE 3). The lugs or tabs 44 may in themselves be used for attachment or mounting purposes for the poster holder 1 0 or, since the aluminum or other material used for the: panel 44 for the sake of lightness is often soft and therefore easy to dent or deform, clips 22 are preferably secured to these lugs 44 and may consist of parallel plates 46 (FIGURE 3) riveted or otherwise fastened at 48 to the lugs or tabs 44 and provided with aligned mounting or attachment holes 50 for securing to a suitable support, such as a stanchion or pedestal, where the poster holder 10, for example, is to be placed in an aisle or corridor of a store so as to be seen from opposite sides. The tabs or lugs 44 thus project upward between the flanges 30 since the slots 42 are formed in alignment with the inner channels 32.

The bottom border frame member 16 (FIGURES 1, 2 and 4) is composed of astationary central portion 52 and fillers or movable end portions 54 secured thereto by hinges 56 secured by fasteners 58 (FIGURE 7) to the bridging or edge portions 28 thereof. The back plate or partition panel 20 adjacent the two swinging end portions 54 of the bottom border frame member 16 are notched or cut away at 60 (FIGURES'I and 4) to clear the flanges or ribs 30 in order to avoid unnecessarily precise and costly fitting and matching procedures during manufacture. The notches 60 are right-angled and extend from the hinges '56 to the corners of the back plate or partition panel 20. The fillers or movable end portions 54 of the bottom border frame member 16 are releasably held in their closed positions, as shown at the lower left-hand corner of FIGURE 1 and in FIGURE 8, by spring detent members or latches 62. The latter are of L-shaped longitudinal section with elongated vertical legs 64 secured by a fastener 66 to the adjacent bridging portion 28 of the particular side border frame member 18, whereas the short legs 68 project beneath the ends of the fillers or movable end'portions 54 when these are in their closed positions. The mitered ends 41 engage the short legs 68 of the spring detents 6-2 in closing from the open position shown in the right-hand lower corner of FIGURE 1 to perform a camming action which pushes the legs 68 outward, snapping back beneath the filler or end member 54 when it has passed the detent leg 68-, as shown in the lower left-hand corner of FIGURE 1.

In order to spring the posters (not shown) into the border frame 12 of the poster holder 10, the posters must be of slightly less width or length than the width or length of the space between the opposite bridging portions 28 of the border frame members 14, 316 and 18, and in the present invention the posters are preferably made I of slightly less vertical height. In order to prevent the posters from dropping down into the lower outer channels 34 and exposing the upper edge of the poster, the stationary central bottom border frame member portion 52 has its outer channels 34 filled with elongated spacing block or bars 70 (FIGURE 2) which preferably extend the entire length of the central portion 52 and extend upwardly substantially the entire height of the flanges 30 thereof.

In the operation of the invention, in the form shown in the drawings, the user bows or arches the poster simultaneously horizontally and vertically in its upper portion while he inserts its upper and side edges in the outer channels 34 of the border frame members 14 and 18, holding the lower edge of the poster clear of the bottom frame member central portion 52, the fillers or movable end portions 54 being swung downward into their open positions. When the upper and side edges of the poster {have been inserted in this manner, the operator flexes or bows the bottom edge portion of the poster so as to slip it into the space behind the side plates 24, releasing the poster so that its lower edge springs back into the fiat straight condition and comes to rest on top of the spacing bar 70. Meanwhile, the cutaway portions 60 have permitted the lower corner edge portions of the poster to swing through the spaces or gaps 72 vacated'by the now- .open border frame end member portions 54 into the outer channel 34 of the opposite vertical border side frame members 18. The user then swings the end members 54 upward into the closed position shown in the lower lefthand corner of FIGURE 1, the inclined ends 41 thereof performing the camming action upon the ends of the 4 short legs 68 of the detent 62 to push them aside until the ends 41 pass the legs 68, which snap back into retaining position because of their resilience, as shown in the lower left-hand corner of FIGURE 1.

, What I claim is:

1. A poster holder adapted to receive a flexible poster inserted by bowing the poster, said poster holder comprising a border frame having top and bottom frame members and opposite side frarnemembers extending between said top and bottom frame members in laterally-spaced relationship, said frame members having inner peripheral edge portions containing longitudinally-extending recesses communicating at their opposite ends with one another and extending therearound for receiving the poster edge portions, one of said frame members including a stationary poster-retaining portion and a filler portion aligned with said stationary portion, said filler portion extending from said stationary portion toward one of said frame members adjacent thereto and movable into and out of alignment with said stationary portion to provide a gap in said border frame adapted to effect clearance for a corner of the poster while the poster is being bowed during insertion.

'2. A poster holder, according to claim 1, wherein said filler portion is hingedly connected to said stationary portion.

-3. A poster holder, according to claim 2, wherein one i end of said filler portion moves into engagement with one end of the adjacent border frame member.

4. A poster holder, according to claim 3, wherein detent means is disposed between said ends in releasable latching engagement therewith. I

5. A poster holder, according to claim 1, wherein means is disposed behind said border frame members adjacent said recess and cooperating with said recess to de fine a channel adapted to receive the poster edge portions.

6. A poster holder, according to claim 5, wherein said channel-defining means includes a plate disposed behind said border-frame in close proximity to said recess.

7. A double-sided poster holder adapted to receive on opposite sides thereof a' pair of flexible posters inserted by bowing the posters, said poster holder comprising a border frame having top and bottom channel frame members and opposite side channel frame members extending between said top and bottom frame members in laterallyspaced relationship, the channels of said channel frame members facing inwardly toward one another and defining a channel recess extending therearound, and a partition plate having peripheral edge portions extending into said channel recess to the bottoms of said channel frame members and secured thereto in spaced relationship with the opposite side portions of said channel frame members, one of said channel frame members having a stationary portion and a filler portion movable into and out of alignment with said stationary portion to provide a gap in said border frame adapted to effect clearance for corners of the oppositely-facing posters while the poster is being bowed during insertion thereof.

8. A double-sided poster holder, according to claim 7, wherein the bottoms of said channel frame members have laterally-spaced ribs within said channel recess defining grooves extending along said channel frame members and wherein the peripheral edge portions of said partition plate are seated within said grooves.

9. A double-sided poster holder, according to claim 8, wherein fasteners extend inwardly through said bottoms of said channel frame members into said peripheral edge portions of said plate in securing relationship therewith.

10. A double-sided poster holder, according to claim 7, wherein said stationary portion of said one channel frame member is spaced centrally away from. its opposite ends and wherein one of said filler portions is disposed at each end of said stationary portion and movable into and out of alignment therewith to provide opposite end gaps therein adapted to efiect dlearance for opposite corners of each poster while being bowed \durin-g insertion thereof.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 5 Austin Sept. 22, 1914 Beans Nov. 23, 1920 Eklof Ian. 10, 1922 Fahrney Dec. 2, 1924 Conover Oct. 26, 1926 10 6 Prather June 19, 1928 Barry Oct. 29, 1929 Joiner Mar. 11, 1930 Gammeter Nov. 11, 1930 Hallowel l et a1 Nov. 7, 1933 Brown Feb. 11, 1941 Bishop July 3, 195-1 Ressel June 14, 1960 Badalioh June 28, 1960 

1. A POSTER HOLDER ADAPTED TO RECEIVE A FLEXIBLE POSTER INSERTED BY BOWING THE POSTER, SAID POSTER HOLDER COMPRISING A BORDER FRAME HAVING TOP AND BOTTOM FRAME MEMBERS AND OPPOSITE SIDE FRAME MEMBERS EXTENDING BETWEEN SAID TOP AND BOTTOM FRAME MEMBERS IN LATERALLY-SPACED RELATIONSHIP, SAID FRAME MEMBERS HAVING INNER PERIPHERAL EDGE PORTIONS CONTAINING LONGITUDINALLY-EXTENDING RECESSES COMMUNICATING AT THEIR OPPOSITE ENDS WITH ONE ANOTHER AND EXTENDING THEREAROUND FOR RECEIVING THE POSTER EDGE PORTIONS, ONE OF SAID FRAME MEMBERS INCLUDING A STATIONARY POSTER-RETAINING PORTION AND A FILLER PORTION ALIGNED WITH SAID STATIONARY PORTION, SAID FILLER PORTION EXTENDING FROM SAID STATIONARY PORTION TOWARD ONE OF SAID FRAME MEMBERS ADJACENT THERETO AND MOVABLE INTO AND OUT OF ALIGNMENT WITH SAID STATIONARY PORTION TO PROVIDE A GAP IN SAID BORDER FRAME ADAPTED TO EFFECT CLEARANCE FOR A CORNER OF THE POSTER WHILE THE POSTER IS BEING BOWED DURING INSERTION. 